Pagan, Sandoval rest as Giants close homestand against Padres

SAN FRANCISCO -- It’s a night off for both Angel Pagan and Pablo Sandoval tonight as the Giants try to take two of three from the Padres and finish April on a winning note. Manager Bruce Bochy planned to give both players a day off during this series, and with a travel day Thursday, this allows both consecutive days of rest.

Sandoval may have been due for a day off. He’s still batting .177, though he had a hit and a walk in the Giants’ 6-0 win over the Padres on Tuesday night. Joaquin Arias gets a start at third -- his first start since April 22.

It sounds as though Pagan can use the rest as well. Bochy said the center fielder is a little sore with a bruised knee from a recent dive, and Pagan has started all but three games for the Giants this season. Juan Perez will play center.

"Arias needs a start, Perez needs a start," Bochy said. "These guys need occasional playing time. That’s the only way they’re going to help us coming off the bench."

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The Giants lineup, with Brandon Belt back in after a night off Tuesday, looks like this:

CF Perez

RF Pence

C Posey

LF Morse

1B Belt

2B Hicks

SS Crawford

3B Arias

P Hudson

And the Padres’ lineup against Hudson:

SS Cabrera

RF Venable

LF Smith

C Grandal

2B Gyorko

1B Alonso

CF Maybin

3B Peterson

P Erlin

* Bochy said Matt Cain was not scheduled to throw at all Wednesday, a day after cutting himself on the right index finger with a kitchen knife. Cain was out shagging balls during batting practice, but Bochy said the right-hander likely won’t throw in the bullpen until the Giants get to Atlanta.

* Another note from Tuesday: Michael Morse exited for a pinch runner in the fifth after going from first to third on Sandoval’s single. Bochy said Morse was fine -- Bochy just wanted the speedier Perez on third to give the Giants a better chance of scoring on a fly ball medium-deep or a wild pitch.

* It’s another warm night at AT&T Park -- the temperature was in the mid-80s when the Giants headed out for batting practice -- and we saw in the first inning Tuesday how that can change the way this park plays.

"One thing you are aware of, like yesterday when we had a six-run lead, is when the ball is flying like that things can change real fast," Bochy said. "So you probably won’t stay with your pitcher as long. It’s not as forgiving a ballpark."

Otherwise, Bochy said, the weather doesn’t change the way he’ll manage the game.

* Tim Hudson tonight can become the first Giants pitcher to throw at least seven innings in each of his first six starts with San Francisco since Livan Hernandez in 2002. Hudson is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA, with the one loss coming against the Padres, to whom he gave up two runs on eight hits in seven innings in a 3-1 loss on April 19.